Washington DC: Former US President Donald Trump may be riding on the popularity wave among his unflinching supporters, but he does not want to leave any stone unturned for his re-election. Hence, focus on the influential Indian diaspora, particularly in swing states.
Trump is back with another Hindi slogan: “Bharat and US Sabse Achhe Dost”.
Trump recorded this new catchphrase at his Mar-a-Lago residence recently for Shalabh Kumar, a Chicago-based businessman, and strategist, who was also behind Trump’s first Hindi slogan in 2016: “Ab ki bar, Trump Sarkar”, which was inspired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s poll slogan “Ab ki bar, Modi sarkar”.
Kumar said Trump, who doesn’t speak any Hindi at all, had an easier time recording the slogan than many people in Kumar’s own team, who had trouble pronouncing the word ‘Bharat’ correctly.
The former President got it in “just three takes”, Kumar said. “We will use the slogan in the upcoming midterm elections in November.”
The slogan is intended to mobilize Indian-origin voters in support of Republicans, especially the key candidates endorsed by the former President – J.D. Vance in Ohio, Herschel Walker in Georgia, Mehmet Oz in Pennsylvania, and Ron Johnson in Wisconsin, blocking Trump’s path to re-election.
Indian Americans have emerged as a crucial vote bank in swing states where election outcomes can turn on thin margins, as slim as a thousand or few thousand.
The Indian American community has grown to more than four million — said to be slightly more than one percent of the total population — but registered voters among them are less than the total registered voters, which stood at 160 million in 2020. They are located all over the country — the largest concentrations are in California, Texas, New Jersey, New York, and Illinois.
Both the Democratic and Republican parties now woo Indian Americans aggressively.
